


Christmas on Earth

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 7,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: Merlin is so excited. Arthur and the crew of the Camelot take him to Earth to go to a Christmas Market.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 158
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As everyone had so much fun with alien!Merlin (me included!), I thought we need to follow him when he spends his first Christmas on Earth. 
> 
> This is this year's advent calendar for you. 
> 
> This is connected to [Found you between the stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25105678) and will probably make more sense if you know this story. 
> 
> There will be a new chapter every day until Christmas. 
> 
> P.S.: I have no idea why Merlin's language skills in Union Standard don#t develop after spending more time on the Camelot. But it was too much fun writing him speaking like that. :)

Merlin was practically bouncing and ran back and forth in their quarters.

“Would you stop that for a moment?” Arthur looked at him, slightly irritated. 

Doing as he was asked, Merlin still didn’t manage to stand still.

“What are you so nervous about?”

“Not nervous, excited!” Merlin beamed and produced the old beanie he had borrowed a long time ago from one of the Ensigns when Morgana had taken him to the surface of a planet.

“Merlin, you have been to Earth so many times now, hasn’t the novelty worn off?”

“I have, but just not at Christmas!” 

Merlin beamed and Arthur knew exactly that he couldn’t resist. He leaned in and kissed him. “Does that distract you a bit?”

“A bit…”

Oh, cheeky little Ealdorian. Arthur deepened the kiss and Merlin leaned into him. They kissed until the communication system of the Camelot sprung to life.

“Ambassadors Pedragon-Emrys…er…Emrys-Pendragon…”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “What is it, Healer?”

“We’re waiting for you guys in the shuttle bay.”


	2. Chapter 2

Making sure Merlin had all his scarves and hats and gloves, Arthur took his hand and followed him down the corridor. By now, they had been to Earth a few times and he would never forget when Merlin had set foot on the planet for the first time. He had already been in his Ambassador role, Merlin had been his consort back then and he could barely hold him back. It was as if, while he was doing his job, Merlin was all over the planet. In the beginning, Arthur had been a bit cross that he didn’t get to experience all this together with Merlin, but the crew had promised to not take him to places that were special to Arthur and that he wanted to show him himself. 

The childish wonder with which Merlin had taken everything in, tried out new things and met the locals always brought joy to Arthur. He had forgotten long ago to feel thrilled about a new planet, he’d seen so many. And even though the new position as ambassador brought unknown responsibilities, it still wasn’t the same. He barely got to explore a planet on his own these days and only saw what the officials wanted to show him. 

“There you are!” Morgana was bundled up in her best winter gear and Leon and Mithian stood by in similar outfits. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Someone forgots where put his gloves.” Merlin gestured towards Arthur with his head and made a funny face. 

“I would have known where they are if you hadn’t ‘rearranged’ the entire closet. You really need to be a bit neater in things like these.” Arthur made a face of his own.

Mithian looked from one to the other. “Hmm…too bad.”

“What?”

“I was waiting for one of you to stick out his tongue at the other.” She giggled. 

Arthur threw her a look. This might have happened one or two times before, so she wasn’t that far off the mark. And if she hadn’t mentioned it, he might have done it. 

Leon laughed. “Come on, Earth is waiting for us.”


	3. Chapter 3

On the way down to the planet, everyone was talking over each other and Arthur grinned. They were adults, some a lot older than the average crew member, and yet this felt like a field trip in school. It was rare that they all got to go do things outside the ship together, so everyone was excited. He squeezed Merlin’s hand. 

“What are you going to do first, Merlin?” Morgana turned. 

Merlin seemed to ponder. “I thinks, we gets mulled wine first!”

Of course. 

“I think we should get something to eat first.” Arthur nodded.

They were about to go to the biggest Christmas market in Central City and the choice of food and drinks would be plentiful. 

“We should go see the lights first.” Mithian announced. 

Leon laughed. “It won’t be dark enough for the lights when we land. We could walk around first, look at things and then have food and drink and look at the lights.”

“And sing some good old-fashioned Christmas carols.” Morgana nudged Leon. It was an open secret that the Captain was a great singer. 

“Well, maybe that, too.” 

Merlin resumed his bouncing. “Earth getting closer!”


	4. Chapter 4

It took them a while to land, disembark and the take a shuttle taxi to the Christmas market. Arthur tightened his hold on Merlin’s hand.

“What?” Merlin threw him an irritated look as he had already started off to one of the booths.

“I don’t want to lose you here.” Arthur smiled. As a child, he had loved Christmas, but the older he got, the more it lost its appeal. He didn’t have anyone to celebrate it with and he had soon found out that you could be the loneliest person in a sea of strangers. He had avoided Christmas markets and buried himself in work on the day. Things had changed since he had Merlin.

“You me no want to buy things!” Merlin grinned.

Laughing, Arthur nodded. “That, too.”

They had a whole storage room for all the things Merlin just absolutely had to buy when they were on a planet, always insisting that they were souvenirs to take to Hunith. So far, only a handful of things had made it to Hunith’s place but even though she assured them that the photos and videos they sent when they were in a new location were enough, Merlin kept collecting nick-nacks. 

Merlin didn’t seem to mind at all. “We finds new…stuff!”

Arthur laughed. Of course Merlin would. By now he knew exactly that he had overused the word a bit in the beginning and these days he used it on purpose. “The storage rooms aren’t infinite.”

Grinning, Merlin dragged Arthur along. “Bigger on the inside!”

Rolling his eyes, Arthur followed. It was probably a mistake to show Merlin the old science fiction show with the man in a blue phone box.


	5. Chapter 5

“Here, we need these.” Morgana handed out Santa hats.

Arthur felt a bit weird putting it on his head. He was more a baseball hat-man than anything else, but everybody seemed to be so excited that he couldn’t refuse. Of course, Morgana took photos and Merlin immediately sent a video message to his mother. Arthur waved dutifully when Merlin turned his communicator his way. 

The good thing about them was, that it was easier to spot each other in the crowd. There were lots of people wearing Santa hats, but it still wasn’t as difficult to see the others as with normal hats. 

Morgana, Mithian and Leon went to one booth looking at the wares, Merlin pulled him to another. Arthur wasn’t interested in what they had to sell, but Merlin looked at everything with shiny, wide eyes. 

“What’s this?” He whispered.

Arthur looked at what caught Merlin’s eye. “A humming-top.” One of the old-fashioned kind, too, which seemed to have become popular again.

“What’s it do?”

The vendor of course had noticed Merlin’s interest and came over and set the humming-top in motion. “That’s what it does.”

Merlin threw Arthur a sideways look. “Why?”

Arthur laughed. “It’s a toy. For children. It’s amusing and keeps them busy.”

“It only spins like that?” 

“Yes, that’s its purpose.”

The vendor looked at them. “He’s not from here, eh?”

Arthur laughed again. “No, he isn’t. But I don’t think we need this. Thank you.” He pulled Merlin along.


	6. Chapter 6

“Arthur?”

“Hm?” They were just drifting with the flow of people, sometimes guided by Merlin’s curiosity, sometimes led by the wonderful mixture of odours. 

“This smells good.” Merlin beamed at him.

All Arthur could do was roll his eyes. “Haven’t you eaten enough yet? Keep in mind, we want to go have dinner with the others later.”

“Oh, no worries.” Merlin’s grin became impossibly wider. 

A Bratwurst, cotton candy, some fried sweet longish thing that Arthur forgot the name of, roasted chestnuts, various gingerbread cookies and an entire candy cane had already found their way into Merlin’s stomach. 

“You got the herbs along?”

Now Merlin laughed. “Of course.”

Rolling his eyes, Arthur followed Merlin to the booth that sold something that looked like a heavy gravy with mushrooms over weirdly shaped pasta. “Really, Merlin?” Arthur had learned long ago that Merlin could and would eat most anything and in big quantities, too. Some days, he envied him for his Ealdorian metabolism. That Merlin would eat so much today on purpose, knowing that he would need the herbs that helped his stomach deal with all the food, was still something that made Arthur shake his head. 

Merlin munched with such a happy look on his face that Arthur smiled. 

“Is it good?”

Nodding around a bite, Merlin’s head already turned into another direction when they heard commotion.


	7. Chapter 7

There was the noise of hooves on the ground and lots of bells. 

“What’s going on there?” Merlin finished his food quickly and grabbed Arthur’s hand.

“I’d say, Santa just arrived.” Letting himself be dragged into the direction the noise came from, Arthur already heard someone laugh the Christmas-y jolly Ho Ho Ho.

Merlin watched with wide eyes. “You said he’s not real.”

When they first talked about it, Merlin found the concept of a fat, old man in a red suit handing out presents to the nice children a bit odd, but he seemed to be fascinated now. 

“Why does he take the children on his lap?”

“So they can tell him what they want for Christmas. And parents always like photos of their kids with Santa.”

Merlin watched for a while and Arthur saw the exact moment when the thought appeared. There was a twinkle in his eyes and a huge grin showed on his face. 

“No, Merlin.”

“Why not?”

“This is for children.” Arthur chuckled. 

“But I am my mam’s child.”

Arthur leaned in. “A child of 1500 Earth years? That’s a bit too old for this, even in Ealdorian terms.”

Merlin pouted for a moment and readjusted his fluffy Santa hat.

Just as Arthur wanted to lean in and suggest to Merlin that they could get a Santa outfit and be as naughty as they wanted back in their quarters, he noticed a little boy staring at Merlin. 

“Look, Mom! A Christmas Elf!”

As the woman blushed and apologized, Arthur burst out laughing. Of course, someone had to see Merlin’s ears peeking out from underneath the Santa hat. Leave it to a little kid to immediately come to the conclusion that Merlin couldn’t be anything else than an elf. 

Merlin laughed. “No need be sorry,” he told the woman in Union Standard. “Me comes from a planet with all…elves.”

The woman had picked up the boy and the little one still couldn’t take his eyes off of Merlin. “There’s a whole planet with elves?”

Arthur knew that Merlin didn’t like to be reduced to his prominent ears. In the beginning, he had thought that all Ealdorians had ears like Merlin’s. Turned out that they all had the little pointy ends, but Merlin’s were sticking out like crazy. He held his breath, but Merlin just nodded, put his finger to his lips and then winked at the boy. 

When the woman and her son had left – the boy beaming widely for being let in on the secret that an entire planet with Christmas elves existed – Arthur pulled Merlin along.

“This is your chance to see a reindeer up close and personal. Come on.”


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin was excited that he met a real reindeer, one from Santa’s sleigh, too, and managed to get a photo with Santa as well. How, Arthur didn’t know. Later, they met up with the others at the mulled wine stand. Leon bought the first round and they stood in a circle, telling each other what wonders they had seen. Merlin showed his video clips and photos proudly and of course, they snapped a few shots with all of them on. 

“Me is Christmas Elf now!” Merlin announced and sipped his mulled wine.

“What?” Morgana laughed. 

“Kid sayed that I am Christmas Elf.”

Mithian giggled. “When you’re wearing that hat, yes, you could easily be mistaken for one.”

“He told the kid that there is an entire planet of Christmas Elves.” Arthur grinned. “And then swore him to secrecy.”

They laughed and then turned around when a choir stepped up on a stage. Arthur put his arm around Merlin’s waist. Before, he had felt so lonely in those situations and just wanted to get out, but now Merlin was by his side and it was so much fun watching him finding out about new foods and traditions. 

“They are good.” Leon nodded when the choir started to entertain the crowd with Christmas carols.

Mithian started to sing along and it didn’t take long for the others to do the same. 

Merlin stood there and looked from one to the other. 

“What?” Did Merlin feel sick? Was he alright?

“I never heard you sing before.” Merlin said in Ealdorian.

“As you can hear, you didn’t miss much.” Arthur grinned and put a quick kiss on Merlin’s cheek. 

For the next two songs, Merlin just looked at them in wonder. 

“What is it, Merlin?” Morgana finally asked. 

“You needs teaches me words, so I sings next time, too!”

“I drink to that.” Leon raised his mug.


	9. Chapter 9

The fake snow that slowly floated down on them was a nice touch, but it didn’t stand the comparison with the snow on Ealdor that usually came down in big fluffy flakes. It added to the atmosphere, so even though there was some temperature regulation and it didn’t get too cold so the visitors would stay longer, there came a time where they all stomped from one foot to the other and pulled their heads deeper between their shoulders.

“Time to dinner!” Merlin announced, which drew laughs from everyone as they had heard about all the things he had already eaten. 

Morgana pulled her gloves on. “I think the exit is in this direction. We can still look at the stands and booths on the way and then find a restaurant?”

Everyone agreed and when Merlin made big cow-eyes at him, Arthur bought him a big gingerbread heart that he could wear around his neck on a colorful string that had a sappy saying written on it. 

Merlin immediately went to show it to Morgana, who looked at something across the little alley. 

When Merlin wasn’t looking, Arthur went back to a booth that sold tree ornaments.

They had a delicious dinner at a very cozy restaurant that had an old-fashioned open fireplace and the evening was drawing to an end. 

“We goes back Camelot?” Merlin asked and his face showed that he’d much rather would have stayed.

“That’s…” Leon grinned. “All up to you.”

“Watsa mean?” Merlin, who had refused to take the gingerbread heart off during dinner, looked at Leon questioningly.

Arthur grinned with Leon. “Leon rented a large cabin not too far outside of Central City, a bit up the mountain. We could go back to the Camelot…or we can have Christmas here.”

Merlin’s face lit up. “Christmas here!”


	10. Chapter 10

It had taken them another few hours to get to the cabin and after figuring out who took which room, they had all retreated quickly and fell asleep.

“Look, Arthur!”

It was way too early when Merlin had rummaged around in their room. “What is it?”

“It snowed last night.”

Stretching and yawning, Arthur sat up and blinked towards the window. “Yes, but it’s nothing like on Ealdor.”

“But it looks nice.”

As much as Merlin loved the sun and could laze around in it like a cat, he adored winter. His hands and feet got cold quickly and he always came to Arthur to warm him up. That was the part that Arthur liked the best. He wasn’t too fond of the sludge he was used to from Earth, a sad excuse for snow, but he adored and respected the winters on Ealdor. 

Stepping up to Merlin and wrapping his arms around him from behind, Arthur put his chin on Merlin’s shoulder. “You’re right, it looks nice. Now come back to bed.”

“No, we need to look some more.”

Arthur groaned. “Come on, Merlin. It’ll still be here when we get up.” He wasn’t too sure about that, though.

“It’s my first Earth snow.”

Pressing a kiss on the nape of Merlin’s neck, Arthur let go of him to grab a blanket from the back of the couch. They would be standing here for a while until Merlin was done admiring his first Earth snow, Arthur knew.


	11. Chapter 11

When they finally emerged from their room, drawn by the smell of coffee and scrambled eggs, Percy and Gwaine had arrived. 

“What we dos today?” Merlin asked between two bites of his breakfast. 

Gwaine grinned. “I’m glad that you’re asking.”

“Oh no.” Morgana sipped her coffee, grinning. “Nothing good has ever followed when he started like that.”

They all laughed, but Percy shook his head. “Once again, we have been productive and found a place where we can get a tree.”

Merlin looked from one to the other and Arthur saw the wheels in his head turning. 

“Remember when I told you about Christmas trees, Merlin?”

“Is like when you kill poor tree and takes into house, right?”

“Well…” Gwaine shrugged, “the tree has been preparing for this moment all of his life. We will take it in and decorate it and then sing carols and have a good time.”

It was clearly visible on Merlin’s face that he didn’t like this tradition. “Why cans we not decorate tree in wood?”

“Because we can’t sit outside in the snow and sing and exchange presents.” Morgana smiled. 

“Don’t worry, Merlin,” Percy loaded his plate with more eggs. “We got one that we can put back outside after Christmas.”

Merlin blinked. “I’s not understand.”

“It was either getting a hologram or a real tree that still has its roots. I thought you would probably like that a lot better. After Christmas, the decoration is being taken down and the tree is being put back in the woods.” Arthur reached over and squeezed his hand. 

He knew that this thought was just as strange to Merlin. On Ealdor, he was part of nature and the thought of digging up a tree to take it inside for a while just to put it back out again sounded crazy – it most likely was. “You will like it.”

Merlin watched the goings-on with critical eyes and it was very clear that he thought that Earthlings were very strange creatures with definitely odd traditions as Gwaine and Percy put up the tree with Leon’s help. He got a bit livelier when they pulled out the decorations.

“We sees them at market!”

“Yes, Merlin, they sold things like these at the Christmas market.” Morgana handed him a bauble. “And you hang it on the tree like so.” She showed him.

There was lots of laughter and singing as they decorated the tree and had some of the hot cider Mithian made later in the day. 

When the last boxes were stored away, they all stood in the living room and looked at their work. 

“It looks very festive.” Percy smiled. 

Arthur put his arm around Merlin’s shoulder. “Do you like it?”

“Was funs do all the bobbles on tree…”

“And we’re still crazy for taking a tree inside the house?” Arthur already chuckled, he knew that Merlin was thinking just that. 

Merlin grinned and shrugged. “The singsing was nice, though.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Looks, Arthur!” Merlin yelled from the kitchen.

When Arthur went over, he laughed. Percy was apparently trying to show Merlin how to bake Christmas cookies. Merlin had flour all over himself, there were chocolate smears on his face, but his eyes were shining and he was beaming. 

“I bakes!”

“To me, it looks a bit more as if Percy is doing the baking and you are playing around with the ingredients.” Arthur leaned against the doorframe.

“He’s good at handing me what we need.” Percy explained. “Get me the rolling pin, please.”

Merlin did and watched with interest as Percy rolled out some dough. “All flat.”

“All flat and even. With the cookie cutters over there, we will have nice cookies shaped like Christmas trees or gingerbread men or Santa in no time.”

Arthur watched as Merlin tried it out the way Percy showed him, his tongue stuck between his lips. 

“And now do this in heres to get more doughs for cookies?” Merlin turned to the kitchen machine and poured an ingredient from a little bowl nearby into the bowl. 

“Merlin, noooooo!” Percy jumped over when Merlin switched on the kitchen machine. A cloud of flour sprayed everywhere.

Coughing and waving a dish towel, Percy switched it off again. “Never switch it on without putting the lid on the bowl first,” he explained, defeatedly. 

Arthur was coughing, too, as Merlin just stood there, watching with wide eyes. “Don’t tell me Hunith never let you help making food.”

“Mam no had kidshn machine.”

“But the physical properties of powders are the same on Ealdor!” Arthur laughed and pulled out his communicator. The way Merlin stood there looking rather crestfallen, all covered in flour, was something he needed to capture and preserve for eternity. Also, Hunith would have a ball when he sent her this. 

“You no send this mam!”

“Oh, I just did.” Arthur laughed and still trying to get the flour off his jumper and out of his hair. 

Life seemed to come back into Merlin. “You comes here, Percy. We takes picture. We call ‘three bakersmans’.”


	13. Chapter 13

“What’s that?” Merlin looked up when he heard the sleighbells.

Arthur smiled. “Grab your warm clothes, Merlin.”

“Why? What’s we do?”

“We’re going on a sleigh ride.”

Merlin blinked. “What is slay ride?”

Mithian held out his thick coat to him. “Remember the thing Santa came to the Christmas market with?” When Merlin nodded, she added, “That’s a sleigh.”

“We go…like Santa?”

Arthur wrapped Merlin’s scarf around his neck and nodded. “Yes, we will be travelling like Santa.” It was really old-fashioned, but he figured it would be something that Merlin might find amusing. 

Merlin followed him outside with wide eyes. “Is no reindeers.”

“No,” Arthur laughed. “It’s horses, but they can pull the sleigh, too.”

“Slay no fly then.”

Leaning over, Arthur put a quick kiss on Merlin’s temple just before Merlin pulled the beanie over his head. “No, we won’t fly, but we can enjoy the tour.” He helped Merlin up into the sleigh and climbed in himself. 

In the beginning, they shared the provided blanket and Merlin was all excited about the landscape and the mode of travelling that he had never experienced before. His cheeks were rosy and he snuggled against Arthur. 

It got cool after a while, but then Arthur saw Merlin’s eyes flashing golden and it was comfortably warm around them. 

“Handy.”

“Hm?” Merlin tried to look innocent.

“Having a magic husband is quite handy,” Arthur said in Ealdorian, so the driver wouldn’t understand them. 

Merlin just grinned, snuggled back against him and pointed out a nice formation of trees on a ridge.


	14. Chapter 14

“What you do?” Merlin hovered in the doorway.

Morgana looked up and smiled. “I’m making decorations.”

“What for?”

She waved him closer. “It’s an ancient craft to make little stars or figures or horses or reindeer out of straw and red yarn.”

Merlin looked at it. “And then?”

“Then we can put it in the tree or on windows or just decorate the place with it. Hand me the yarn, please?”

Slinking into a chair Merlin handed the red yarn over and watched how Morgana finished a big star.

She looked up, content with her work. “Wanna try?”

Nodding, Merlin sat up straighter. “Is only for Christmas?”

Morgana shrugged. “Kind of. But you can keep some of the things up a bit longer if you want, all through winter.”

She showed him how to treat the blades so they wouldn’t break and what the most common and easiest shapes were. 

They worked in silence for a while, only interrupted by Merlin asking questions and in the end, Merlin had produced some little stars, a small humanoid figure and something that could be mistaken for a horse. 

When Arthur came into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, he went over.

“Looks, Arthur!”

“Wow.” Arthur winked at his sister. “Did you make these?”

Merlin pouted. “I make these!” Then he grinned. “With helps of Healer Morgana.”

“They are beautiful.” Arthur pressed a kiss on his husband’s hair. 

“You thinks I can takes to mam when we goes Ealdor?”

“Of course. She will love them.”

Merlin blinked up at him. “Loves you.”

“Love you, too.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Arthur! New snow!” Merlin was already running about their room, looking for his boots.

Groaning, Arthur tried to turn to the other side. “It’s too early to do anything about it.”

“It’s eight already, we need to go look at the new snow!”

Slowly scrambling up, Arthur rubbed his face. How could a man who had seen more than 1500 winters still be so excited about freshly fallen snow? He got up and put his outside-clothes on. Finding his boots, he was ready to face the outdoors.

Without even having had a cup of coffee, he let himself be dragged out and for a moment, he stood on the porch of the cabin and breathed deeply. Merlin was right, there was something about freshly fallen snow. The world smelled different and everything seemed to be calmer and quieter. 

“What do you want to do? Go for a walk?” That could be an exhausting endeavour with all the fresh snow and they would be cold and wet and…oh, he could drag Merlin back to bed to warm him up then?

Merlin beamed. “We are going to build a snowman!”

“A…why?” They had been building snowmen on Ealdor, so it wasn’t an Earth tradition. 

“Why not?”

Laughing, Arthur stepped off the porch. “True.”


	16. Chapter 16

The snowman had gotten a lot bigger than they intended, but the snow was perfect for it, so they rolled and rolled and rolled. 

After a while, Gwaine and Percy joined them and together, they stacked the middle part onto the big belly, but then struggled with the head.

“Maybe it works if we…” Arthur started and was about to order Gwaine and Percy around when Merlin stepped up to him. His eyes were flashing golden and the big head of the snowman floated through the air and was placed just where it had to be. 

“That’s…” Percy stared.

“…great use of magic.” Gwaine commented drily. “You let our hands get cold and wet while you could have built this monster with no effort, just a bit of magic.”

Merlin shrugged. “No fun doing all with magic.” He grinned. 

They finished decorating their snowman and stepped back to admire their work.

“What do you say?” Arthur threw Merlin a look. 

“Is nice snowman. Snowman to protect house.”

Just then, Mithian stuck her head out of the door. “Leon says if you’re not coming for breakfast, he’ll eat all the bacon himself!”

Arthur never found out if Merlin had woven magic into the snowman, so it would really protect the cabin.


	17. Chapter 17

They had all met up in the living room of the cabin, the fire was cackling in the fireplace and they had played a couple of rounds of charade before the couples had snuggled up in chairs and on couches. They were sipping hot chocolate and telling stories about Christmas.

“What was Christmas like at your house, Leon?” Mithian asked. 

Leon smiled. “My granny usually cooked up a storm for Christmas.”

Merlin blinked and looked at Arthur. “She have magic?” He whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. 

When the laughter died down, Leon shook his head. “Sometimes you could easily believe she had, but no, she didn’t. It just means she cooked and baked a lot of food.”

“And the storm?”

Arthur tried hard not to laugh again. He pressed a kiss in Merlin’s hair. “It’s an idiom. She didn’t manipulate the weather, but she worked in the kitchen like a whirlwind to make all the goodies.”

“Ah.” Merlin didn’t seem to be convinced. 

One after the other came up with little stories and special traditions at their house. 

“And you?” Merlin looked at Arthur.

Arthur exchanged a look with Morgana. Christmas at their house hadn’t been as nice and cozy like the ones the others had described. “Usually, I fought with Morgs and I remember that one time we made the tree topple over.”

It had gotten really quiet in the room. 

“You all met our father, he wasn’t pleased and if I recall that correctly, we spent Christmas Eve grounded, didn’t we?” Morgana tried to laugh it off. 

Arthur smiled over at her. “That was the evening you tried to teach me to read.”

“So it took a destroyed Christmas tree and pulled hair for you to learn how to read?” Gwaine asked and grinned. 

“Something like that. And even though we had quite a few fights after that, it is still one of my most cherished Christmas memories.” Arthur smiled at his sister. 

She smiled back, reached over and squeezed his hand.


	18. Chapter 18

Arthur knew what was coming when he left their room and heard Merlin giggle. It was the special giggle he always did when he was tipsy. That could only mean one thing: Gwaine had made good on his promise and showed him how to make eggnog. 

“Arthur!” Merlin waved him over. “You have to try this!”

Smiling, Arthur shook his head. “I know what eggnog tastes like.”

“Is good!” Merlin switched to Union Standard again and nodded with wide eyes.

“I know it is.”

Gwaine pushed a glass into his hand. “Come on, man, don’t be such a spoilsport, at least try it.”

Sipping the eggnog, Arthur had to admit that Merlin was right. 

“Damn, what’s that?”

“Eggogg!” Merlin beamed and clinked his glass with Arthur’s.

“I know, but…Gwaine, what did you put in there?”

Percy chuckled. “Do you really think that Gwaine would give away his special recipe?”

“It’s like…it goes down like…cream.” Arthur admitted and held his glass out for a refill.

“Just be careful when you try to get up again.” Percy winked.

“Needs to go Ealdor.” Merlin grinned.

“We will go to Ealdor after Christmas.” Arthur looked alarmed. Why would Merlin all of a sudden want to go to Ealdor?

Shaking his head, Merlin giggled. “No…eggogg needs to go Ealdor!”

A vivid discussion about eggnog and delivering it to other planets ensued. 

Asked about that evening, Arthur would always deny that he had little memory of what had happened, but it would forever be remembered as a really fun evening.


	19. Chapter 19

Arthur pulled on the sweatpants that were lying by the bed and made his way to the kitchen. Darn, in the half-dark, he had obviously caught Merlin’s sweatpants and they were quite a bit tight in places. With a bit of luck, nobody would…there went his luck as someone wolf-whistled.

“Good morning, brother dearest.” Morgana grinned at him over a cup of coffee. “What makes you get up so early?”

“You know Merlin. He’s always famished when he wakes up, so I thought I’d get him a few sandwiches to tide him over until breakfast.” He went to the fridge and got a few things he knew Merlin liked. 

“And what’s for breakfast? You?” She gestured to his outfit.

Putting on his most arrogant face, Arthur huffed. “Jealous?”

“Not really. Cen is going to arrive tomorrow, so don’t expect to see much of me for the next couple of days.”

Arthur made a face. He didn’t mind the Camelot’s newest addition to the engine room and from what he heard Lieutenant Cenred Morningstar was really good in what he was doing, but he still didn’t have to hear about him having sex with his sister. 

“Hey, I made it so far on my own, let me have a bit of fun.”

She was right. She had been single for so long that he should be happy that she finally found someone, so he went over and pressed a kiss on her hair. “I’m happy when you are happy.”

“Meaning you will do background checks and keep an eye on him like a hawk.” Morgana sighed.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Let me have some fun for once.”

“Speaking of fun…I think my ravenous alien just woke up.” Arthur pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

Morgana laughed. “Go, feed him. With everything he might be hungry for.”

Grabbing the tray, Arthur laughed and with a sway of his hips that turned out more comical than sexy, he left the kitchen to not be seen again until the next day.


	20. Chapter 20

They had been to Central City again for some last minute Christmas shopping and to look at the lights. Merlin had been all excited and babbled about what they had seen on the way back to the cabin. 

“We can dos lights on house?”

Arthur pulled him close. “I don’t think we have enough fairy lights for a big display and we shouldn’t disturb the wildlife with too much light either.”

Merlin snuggled close. “Hmm.”

Hmm….it was never good when Merlin just said ‘hmm’. He was thinking, pondering on how to make it work and where to get the fairy lights from, Arthur could see that, but he let it go for now.

The next evening, they all had agreed on playing some charade again, just to welcome Cenred into their group, but Merlin was missing and Arthur couldn’t help but looking around.

“He’ll be here in no time.” Mithian held a bowl with cookies out to him.

Arthur only took it to shake it and then listen into the cabin again. Like a pet when the treat package was shaken, Merlin used to appear when they dished out the cookies. But…nothing. “Where is he?”

Just as he was getting up to go search for his elusive alien husband, Merlin opened the front door. 

“You all comes!” He waved at them. 

“Why?” Morgana, who had just snuggled against Cenred, didn’t look pleased.

“Needs to show!” 

The level of Merlin’s excitement wasn’t an indicator. He could show the same excitement if he just saw a little bird on a twig or had a major break-through in the scientific research he did with Morgana. 

“What is it, Merlin?” Leon already scrambled up and reached for his jacket. 

Obediently, they all got dressed enough to go outside.

“What now?” Gwaine, who huddled close to Percy, glared. 

“Waits!” Merlin closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were shining golden. That was nothing special to any of them, they had all gotten used to it. 

What was special was that the cabin was illuminated with thousands, probably millions of tiny lights. It was almost as if lightning bugs gave off their shimmer.

There were Ooohs and Aaahs and the occasional ‘whoa’ as they all stood and admired Merlin’s work. 

“You likes?” Merlin beamed.

“I love it.” Arthur pulled him close and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “You’ve outdone yourself.”


	21. Chapter 21

Arthur poured himself a mug of coffee. He wasn’t really awake yet as Merlin had gotten up very early and had knocked a chair over in the half-dark of the room.

Leon padded in, his hair all over the place. “Morning.”

“Morning.”

“Where’s Merlin?” Leon reached for the mug that Arthur held out to him.

“He said something about a ritual…before he knocked over the chair and woke the entire house up.”

“Ritual…”

They heard laughter coming from outside.

“What the…”

They went to the front of the cabin and looked outside only to find Merlin, Mithian, Gwaine, Percy and Cenred engaged in a snowball fight. 

“And that’s an ancient ritual?” Leon threw Arthur a sideways look. 

Arthur chuckled. “Seems so. Old Ealdorian tradition. Ritual that has to be performed on this day every year. Has something to do with the moons and solstice and such.”

“Hey!” Percy yelled as a snowball hit him square against the side of his head. “No magic!”

Merlin laughed and sprinted to the other direction. 

Leon sipped his coffee. “Want to join them?”

Arthur shook his head. “Nah. Let’s wait for them to come back in, so we can warm them up.”


	22. Chapter 22

Arthur stood in the kitchen of the cabin and tried to remember what was going into the pot next. Julan had taught him this recipe a long time ago and he wanted to surprise Merlin and the others with it. Or course he didn’t have all the ingredients, so he had asked the ship’s computer for substitutes to be sent down.

“What are you making?” Percy came in and sniffed the air. 

“It’s a rather common dish on Ealdor, but I didn’t have all the original ingredients.”

Without being asked, Percy took a knife and started to chop up a bell pepper. He grinned.

“What?”

“Never thought that I’d see the Captain, the Ambassador, wielding a cooking spoon.”

Arthur laughed. “Don’t get used to it, I usually don’t have the time to do that.”

“Smells good already.”

Merlin came into the kitchen, following his nose and beamed widely. “You cooks!”

“Just today.”

Pressing a quick kiss on Arthur’s neck, Merlin grabbed a spoon and tasted what was bubbling in the pot. “Mmmmm, like home.”

Arthur knew that it wasn’t ‘just like at home’ and that there were tons of people at the house who could make this dish a lot better than he would ever be able to, but he smiled anyway. 

Later, they all sat around the big table and enjoyed what Arthur had cooked with Percy’s help and Arthur threw Merlin a look when he felt him pressing his knee against his under the table. 

“Hey, if this ambassador-thing doesn’t work out anymore, you can still work in the mess hall.” Gwaine declared as he stuffed his face. 

“Or have own eat-place.” Merlin chimed in.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur chuckled. Of course, if he was ever through with being an ambassador, he would open a restaurant, serving the only dish he was able to cook. He was surrounded by friends and didn’t mind at all that they were poking fun at him.


	23. Chapter 23

“Here!” Arthur yelled and hit the hockey stick onto the ice. He hadn’t done this in ages and it was so much fun playing hockey with these people.

Cenred passed the puck to him and as Leon hadn’t paid attention, Arthur scored.

“YES!”

It had been Cenred’s idea to go skating and somehow a little hockey match had developed. 

“You puts black plastic in net!” Merlin cheered from the sideline.

Oh. For a moment, he had forgotten that Merlin couldn’t skate and he had promised to show him how to do it. 

“Guys, I…” Arthur handed his hockey stick to Morgana and skated over to where Merlin sat. “Ready for your first skating lesson?”

Merlin looked a bit unsure, but let Arthur help him up. 

“Just one foot in front of the other…let it slide a bit more…nothing can happen to you.” He held Merlin as he wobbled and was about to fall.

“You me holds safe!” Merlin beamed and promptly lost balance again. 

“Lean forward a bit, it helps.”

With lots of laughter, wobbling, near-falls and catches just at the right time, Merlin made it around the rink. 

“I skates!”

“You are skating.” Arthur laughed, still holding on to both of Merlin’s hands and skating backwards while doing everything he could to prevent Merlin from falling. 

After another two rounds, Merlin’s cheeks were rosy and he was beaming. “Made it with no falling!”

“You did. I think you deserve a reward now.” Arthur chuckled. “How about a hot chocolate?”

Merlin nodded and followed Arthur off the ice.

When he ordered two hot chocolates and they found a place to sit, Arthur threw Merlin a sideways look. “You could have done this on your own.”

“No, how?”

“I’ve seen you use magic in all kinds of situations.”

Merlin shrugged. “Wanted to learn it from you.” He made a face.

“What now?”

“I think I need to research ‘skating magic’.”

Arthur laughed and stole a kiss that tasted of hot chocolate.


	24. Chapter 24

“Twas the night before Christmas…” Leon read as they were all gathered by the fireplace.

“Is the night…” Merlin whispered.

“Shh, it’s a poem. Listen.”

“And all through the house…not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

Merlin conjured a little mouse that looked at everybody and then lifted its tiny nose and sniffed in the air. 

“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,” Leon looked up when Merlin touched all the stockings they had put up at the fireplace with his magic and made them wiggle.

“In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

“Santa,” Arthur whispered as he felt that Merlin would ask if they would get another guest. 

Merlin listened intently as Leon read the poem with just the right nuances to his voice. Once in a while, Merlin conjured an image the poem created of dancing sugar-plums and reindeer pulling a sleigh. 

“…Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.” Leon ended and put the tablet on the coffee table. 

They sat in silence for a while, but Arthur felt that Merlin had questions. 

“Down the chimni?” Merlin finally whispered.

“Yes, Merlin.”

“But is fire in fireplace.”

“Mhmm.”

“Will burn butt.”

The image of Santa burning his behind made them all burst out laughing. A vivid discussion about fireproof pants and other nifty devices ensued and in the end, they all agreed on… ‘magic’.


	25. Chapter 25

Even though Merlin had still discussed why people gave presents for Christmas, he was one of the first ones at the tree in the morning. 

“Merlin, at least put some socks on.” Arthur wandered after him and held them out. 

Absent-mindedly, Merlin put them on and looked at the presents. 

“It is nice, isn’t it?”

Nodding, Merlin looked around. “Can gives present to all?”

“Why don’t we wait for everyone to be here?” Merlin’s enthusiasm was endearing, but Morgana and Percy were still missing. 

“When they comes?”

Mithian giggled as she pulled her dressing gown tighter around herself. “Calm down, Merlin.”

“But…” Merlin made a face.

“We know, it’s your first Christmas on Earth.” Leon finished the sentence for him. 

Finally, they were all assembled.

“How we goes for this?” Merlin leaned over and whispered. 

Morgana ran a hand through her hair and folded herself into a big arm chair. “How about…we roll some dice?”

Merlin blinked. “Christmas dice?”

“It’s just something I heard somewhere. They roll a dice and when you get a 6, you can pick a present from under the tree.”

Mithian nodded. “I’ve heard about this, too. It seems to be fun.”

“We pick present to give to friends or pick present we get?” Merlin asked. 

“Hmm,” Percy looked around. “When we just pick a present we get, we can try to figure out who it’s from and that’s probably more fun?”

They agreed on doing it just like that and had a lot of fun opening big and little gifts. There were squeals and hugs and Merlin’s huge smile was the best present of them all. 

When they were all talking amongst themselves, Arthur took a last, small present from underneath the tree and handed it to Merlin. 

“What this?”

“For you.”

“You already gived me Earth things we seed at Christmas market and this.” He pointed to the leather necklace with the crystal that seemed to glow lowly since he had put it around his neck. 

“It’s just a small thing that I hope will always remind you of your first Christmas on Earth.” Arthur held it out until Merlin carefully took it from him. 

Unwrapping the glass bauble that was painted like the planet, Merlin’s face lit up. 

“Is…” He looked up. “Is beautiful.”

“Turn it around.”

Merlin did so and then said in Ealdorian “I love you” when he read “Merlin&Arthur on Earth for Christmas” and the date. 

Arthur took the bauble out of Merlin’s hand and placed it on the tree. “Love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the last chapter in Merlin's journey to Earth for Christmas. Thank you for sticking around to see what he was up to. Have yourselves a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! (We all deserve that now!)


End file.
